During our three full days in Marrakech, we got a chance to try some different Moroccan food. Our breakfasts were provided to us via our stay in a riad, so we never went out for food in the mornings. Our riad was run by an expat couple and they provided us with a large breakfast of bread, butter, jam, fruit, pancakes, a few sweet pastries, yogurt, and tea.

What We Ate In Marrakech – Moroccan Food

Cafe Bistro Laksour

This was my first bit of Moroccan food. The place seemed friendly and had a menu out front that looked promising. It mostly looked to be visited by locals, who were enjoying a coffee while listening to local music on the tv. The family running the cafe mostly spoke Arabic and French with a bit of English, but we were able to communicate well enough.

What we ate/what they offer:

I really wanted couscous and tagine, and I was pleased to see a good portion of the menu dedicated to tagine. Ultimately I decided to go with a beef couscous tagine. Briana decided to go with a vegetable sandwich with fries. It wasn’t locally authentic, but that was what the mood and menu dictated. We also got a mango smoothie and water.

The tagine was great: a mound of fluffy couscous with steamed carrots and parsnips, and slow roasted beef marinated with prunes. Briana also enjoyed her sandwich.

Cost:

105 MAD / $11.39 total. If you want the breakdown: the sandwich was 36 MAD, the beef tagine was 35 MAD, the mango smoothie was 20 MAD, and the water was 18 MAD.

Where to find it:

Morocco, Boulevard Fatima Zahra, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco

Yeah, that address doesn’t help much does it? The best way to find it is to look for a specific landmark. It’s on the corner of Fatima Zahra and Jbel Lakhdar next to a prominent gate leading directly into the depths of the Medina.

Oriental Legend

As we were heading back on our first day, we decided to grab a quick bite before it got dark. This turned out to be a good call because we got terribly lost shortly thereafter. The stand looked appealing so we went up to the counter.

 

Newly Opened Cafe

After checking out El Badi, we were really hungry. We were being more cautious picking a place this day, as we had been hassled a lot the previous evening and a little more that morning. This place seemed okay, so went it. Apparently, it was a new place that had just opened a week prior. Unfortunately, we can’t remember the name of it, and we don’t have any pictures of the outside.

Cool blue and white tile adorned the walls with comfortable chairs and tables packed inside. The place was nearly empty when we arrived, but it quickly filled up behind us.

What we ate/what they offer:

We were surprised to find that we were given appetizers for free. Fresh bread that put our morning’s breakfasts to shame, accompanied by three small plates: a tomato and pepper sauce, minced and marinated olives, and a baba ganoush. All were very satisfying and kept us occupied while the main dish was cooking.

I got a beef tagine, which was marinated in prunes and cashews. Whereas before, the beef was an accompaniment, this time it was the star. It was hearty, sweet, and fall-off-the-bone. The stew was sopped up with the bread.

Briana got a vegetable tagine that was perfectly cooked. Finally, she got her chance to try a tagine too.We shared a water and an orange juice.

Cost:

97 MAD / $10.52 total. The staff were friendly and were able to communicate with us well – though French would be ideal for the common traveler. We did have a minor issue with the bill, where we were overcharged by 10 Dirham ($1) due to a “miscalculation”. Whether it was intentional or not is up for debate, but we just decided to treat it as a tip and added a couple more MAD as well.

Where to find it:

You can find along the street by Jardin Sidi Hmed El Kamel. It doesn’t seem to have a presence on Google maps just yet.

Cremerie Patisserie Fine de Marrakech

On our way back from la Bahia, we decided that it was about time to get back to our riad. We were still a little spooked from the hassling we had the previous night, so we wanted to get back before dark. We kept our eyes out for something to eat that wouldn’t deviate from our path and Briana decided on this bakery.

What we ate/what they offer:

I wasn’t craving sweets, so this one was all Briana. In the end, she decided on a pineapple creme pie and a juice box. The pie was delicious and tasted surprisingly even better than it looked. The bakery offered tons of different sweets, along with coffee. The bakers were busy creating more sweets while we were there too – so you know it’s fresh.

Cost:

20 MAD / $2.17 for the pastry and apple juice

Where to find it:

It is located along Avenue Hommane Al Fatouaki on the side of the medina, approaching the entrance to Jemaa El-Fna from the south.

Terrasse Panoramique Shawarma

Now, I was on the lookout for dinner. Finally, just before we were to turn into the medina, we found one.

What we ate/what they offer:

I got a simple shawarma. The place offered a lot of different options, but he just got the basic one. However, it wasn’t all that great – not bad, but it was completely lacking. We can’t say if he ordered wrong, or they just didn’t give good service because it wasn’t a meal but – meat, lettuce, and tomato.

Nothing else, no sauce, no hummus, no cucumber, no spices. It just wasn’t exciting. The meat was good, but it was still dry. With that being said though, it was still satisfying.

Cost:

23 DH  /  $2.46

Where to find it:

Avenue Hommane Al Fatouaki north of Jemma El-Fna.

Popcorn

After I had my meal on hand for the night, Briana still hadn’t come across anything she wanted aside from sweets. So she was now on the lookout for something more savory. The problem was that most of what we could see was meat and/or a more expensive sit-down place and we had entered the medina.

As luck would have it, a random popcorn vendor was walking down the street. He was just wandering down the alley with his popcorn cart, kind of looking down and Briana thought this would be a good thing to grab, as we were getting closer to our place and hadn’t come across much.

What we ate/what they offer:

Popcorn, that’s it. It had already been popped, but it seemed fresh. It was so cheap, and it smelled great too. So she decided to get some. The guy then proceeded to fill up a huge bag of popcorn, fully aerate it, toss it – with his hands. He made sure that he touched every piece of popcorn.

We were a little shocked but didn’t want to be rude and turn it away. I waited a bit after Briana started the bag to try it to make sure I didn’t get sick but it tasted good and no one got sick.

Cost:

When Briana asked how much it would be the man said 5 Dirham but when she went to pay he would only accept 4 ($0.43). We kind of felt bad for the guy. People should try to give him more business!

Where to find it:

We really couldn’t tell you where to find this guy. He was just wandering down the alleys – so it’s pure luck if you come across him.

Terrasse des Epices

For our final day in Marrakech, we decided we wanted to get a little more upscale Moroccan food. So we set out with a plan of going to Terrasse des Epices. It had been recommended to us and it had received pretty good reviews online. We actually visited two times on our final day.

The top terrace looks out over the Medina and has plenty of tables and a bar. Even then, we had to wait for a few minutes before we could get seated.

What we ate/what they offer:

Our first visit was to the downstairs ice cream parlor. We got a raspberry ice cream cone and were pleased with it. Technically, this is a separate place that functions as a creamery and a bakery but associated with Terrasse des Epices.

When we came back for lunch, we were in for a treat. We climbed up to the third-floor terrace where the restaurant operates. We finally got the mint tea that supposedly was offered everywhere. The tea was really good and sweet. And again, we were given complimentary appetizers of olives, baba ganoush, and bread.

We then split two appetizers: Vegetable and cheese samosas with lemon yogurt sauce, and eggplant cannoli. Both were phenomenal. I thought the portions were a little small, but they were appetizers after all.

These appetizers were some of Bri’s favorite dishes of the whole trip.

Cost:

 185 MAD  /  $19.82 for tea, water, two appetizers, and tip

Where to find it:

• Address: Sidi Abdel Aziz، 15 souk cherifia، Marrakech 40000, Morocco
• You find this deep within the medina. But, it is well marked with multiple signs in the alleys pointing the way. Head just a little bit past Le Jardin Secret and you’re there.

Bazaar Cafe

I had picked this place out when looking for places online. We headed out to enjoy our last night in Marrakech and came to the Bazaar Cafe and riad. This place looks pretty awesome, and it operates both as a restaurant and a riad. The restaurant is on the top terrace and provides a nice view of the city and the billowing smoke from Jemaa El-Fna. It had a great atmosphere and we enjoyed sitting at on the roof looking out at the smoke rising in the Medina in the night while we enjoyed our food by candlelight.

What we ate/what they offer:

What attracted me most to Bazaar was their dinner special – a 3-course meal for a good price. There were a couple different options for each course. He chose harira for the appetizer, chicken tagine for the main course, and mint ice cream for dessert. Briana ordered the Spaghetti Atlas.

The harira was excellent and my favorite dish of our whole stay – one of my favorite foods abroad period. A savory lentil soup, it is a staple during Ramadan and is great with bread. Speaking of, the restaurant also provided us with free delicious bread (and a refill of the basket when we finished). Next came the chicken tagine. It was a quarter chicken, marinated with lemon and cumin – excellent and very moist.

Briana’s pasta was a cream based dish with local vegetables and was also very good. She thought it was high-quality food and really liked this dish.

Finally, came the mint ice cream. This was really a surprise because it was made with fresh mint. It was nothing like the typical mint you get from a big brand ice cream, this was pureed mint and cream and the best mint ice cream I have ever had. Briana and I split it.

Cost:

$20.31. My meal was 95 Dirham (~$10.30), a great deal considering it was a 3-course meal (and the quality). Briana’s Spaghetti Atlas was 70 Dirham (~$7.59). We also got a liter of water to accompany the meal. The tip was separate. Overall both of our big meals this day were more than we normally spend on meals but they were well worth the cost.

Where to find it:

• Address: Rue Sidi el Yamani, Marrakesh 40000, Morocco

Bazaar is a bit easier to find than some other restaurants. Located on Sidi el Yamani about halfway down with a big light up sign, you can’t miss it.

Keep In Mind

• Exchange Rate – the Dirham is relatively stable, but it will still fluctuate a little bit. At the time of writing this, the rate was $1USD = 11MAD
• Tipping – is expected in Morocco, but you don’t need to tip much. 10MAD is fine for most meals out. 10 MAD per $10USD is a good rule of thumb for most mid-level places. Round up if in question.

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